Identifying God's Voice

INTRODUCTION:

People often ask me,"when I am praying and seeking an answer from God about his will for my life, how can I know that the voice that I am hearing is his?" Or, " How do I know that I am not just hearing my own thoughts ?"

These are good, legitimate questions that deserve good answers. Indeed, we Cannot listen well if we cannot discern who is speaking.

In our text, the interchange between Jesus and Peter points out the importance of hearing the true voice of God. Jesus is telling his disciples about his impending death on the cross and his resurrection on the third day. In verse 21, with perfectly good intentions, Peter says, " Far be it from you lord : this shall not happen to you." Jesus turned to peter and said,"Get behind me Satan! You are an offence to me, For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." In this passage, you can see the difference between the voice of God and the voice of Satan.

Peter's dilemma in this situation is just like ours. How do we seek God's divine will for our lives in any given area?

Jesus made it clear that believers' normal experience is to clearly hear the Voice of God. John10:27 states " My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Yet for so many , knowing the voice of God is difficult. There are some scriptural pointers that can help us. When God speaks, it will be marked by the following …

I- CONSISTENT WITH THE WORD OF GOD.

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1 John 4:1 NLT

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

A- Whatever God tells you will always be consistent with the clear teaching of the scriptures.

1. God will never condemn you for sin that has been confessed.

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Romans 8:1 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

2. God will never tell you to do anything that will damage your testimony.

II- CONFLICT WITH HUMAN WISDOM.

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Isaiah 55:8 NLT

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

A- What Jesus did and instructed us to do often conflicts with human logic.

1. Example: .

Matthew 5:39 NLT

But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

III- CLASH WITH FLESHLY NATURE.

A- The things of the Spirit automatically clash with the desires of the flesh.

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Galatians 5:17 NLT

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

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1 John 2:16 NLT

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

IV- CHALLENGE TO FAITH.

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John 20:27b NLT

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

A- God always challenges us to walk in faith.

1. God always challenged Abraham to greater acts of faith.

V- CALL TOWARD COURAGE

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Joshua 1:6–9 NLT

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

A- God always encourages us to be courageous for him.

VI- CONSIDER THE EFFECTS UPON OTHER PEOPLE.

A- God will never instruct you to do what will destroy others.

1. Paul instructed the Corinthians believers to use the law of love in regard to eating meat sacrificed to idols.

meat sacrificed to idols.

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1 Corinthians 8:1–13 NLT

Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

VII- CHAMPION THE PRACTICE OF PATIENCE.

A- God never instructs us to dive in without waiting for instructions.

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Psalm 27:14 NLT

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

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Psalm 62:5a NLT

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

1. King Saul lost God’s favor due to impatience.

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1 Samuel 10:8 NLT

Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

2. Nehemiah waited on God and was blessed.

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Nehemiah 1:4 NLT

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

VIII- CONTEMPLATE THE CONSEQUENCES.

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Haggai 1:5 NLT

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!

Haggai 1:7 NLT

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!

A- God is the Lord of the future, as well as the present. He will point out the future

consequences of any decision we make. Satan will not.

1. If Abraham had considered the consequences, he would probably would not have listened to Sarah about fathering a child by Hagar.

listened to Sarah about fathering a child by Hagar.

IX- CONTRIBUTE TOWARD SPIRITUAL GROWTH.

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2 Peter 3:18 NLT

Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

A- God will never lead us to do anything that will hinder our spiritual growth.

1. Example of girl who thought God was leading her to marry a worldly man.

X- CONTRIBUTES TO INNER PEACE.

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Philippians 4:7 NLT

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

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Colossians 3:15 NLT

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

A- When God speaks, the result is a growing sense of inner peace.

CONCLUSION:

A- illustration of a child hearing his parents voice.

B- Summary

1. It is a normal thing for a child of God to hear and recognize the voice of the heavenly father when he speaks. Using these scriptural principles will make it easier to discern the voice of God:

father when he speaks. Using these scriptural principles will make it easier to discern

the voice of God:

a.

C- Questions:

1. Has God been speaking to you about his will for your life?

2. Why not surrender complete obedience right now?